The Republican journal., 1887-10-27
Written for the Journal.l

| GREAT SHAM FIGHT.
Written for the Journal
NEWPORT, r. l., Oct. 14th, 1887. When the
ultra-fashionab!c world has deserted Newport
for LenoN and Tuxedo; when the Casino has
closed and the Avenue is no longer crowded
when the swell shops have put up their shut
ers and ''the season. is over; just then, name
| ly, in the latter part of October, come the most
! beautiful days in Newpori's calendar. Over
head, a sky blue itays, undcr-foot, the
rustic Of fallen leaves, the pungent scent of
their burning hanging on the crisp, nyigora-
/ ting mir; NcWports quaint, struggling streets,
her cliffs. hel lovely harbor-a at their best
and no one to see it? BY no means-year after
year. those who love Newport for its beauty
come later and stay later. preferrng the peace
full glory of the fall of the leaf to the hustle
| and glare Of 'thc season"-anl those who call
Newport home rejoice in the oveliest days Of
the year.
| Just now. too. the harbor is eniivcned by the
! presence of large part ii cur navy, from the
| "pn!Ih!." (Ncli known In Belfast and At
! laiita. with their companions Of the North At
| lantir Squadron the Richmond. OsSipcc and
Gacna. to the training ships Saratoga and
Portsmouth just home from their summer
cruise; and the Old tlroc-,lecker ''Ncw IIamp-
| shire" shorn Of her glories. Of guns and Of
canvas. tird up 10 n dock. heated by steam.
| lighted H. electricity and used az Il receiving
| ship tc the training fleet. Perhaps. however.
40 bette. fate cond he asked for the ''horoinc
OF Il hundred fights" cone may not call u ship 4
| here. Slipro>el Imam to serve as a nursery for
the sailors OF our navy that is to be. The
opiHion is expressed. and is. believe. well
founded, that tlir character ana quality cf the
>ralicn has hcvn much improved sncc the CO.
| tahli>hntnt Of our present trainin. system :;
Instead Of {! mixture nf all nations and all dc
-rec> If worth and worthrssrcsS. We have i
number OF sturdy, intelligent young Americans
Wcl!-lau.ll and iinbue,l with feeling: OF
! "|nYH- de- cbfJs. icaycni.~ the crews; and
whatever fni--iNimrs may allirt tho taxpayers
With regard TO or ships. good hope for the
future may bc founded on the high standards
and constant advance IN professional attain
mont of hoth officers and men. The number
of vessels present in the harhor has made tho
| variut!- practical demonstrations in connection
| with the work of hc War College of unusual
| extent ahd interest. The bail given last week
by the officers of the fleet, though emneHtiy
| successful. hardly comes into the category
| hut the night attack Of torpedo boats OH the
| Atlanta WAS a brilliant beginning. and was fol-
! lowed this afternoon by q landing in force and
a sham li.;ht on Coasters lIarbor ISlan which
WAS Witnessed by a iarge Number of Interested
| spectators. Prom picturesque point of view
nothing could have been prcttIcr The lay mind
refuses 10 rrapple with the question of utility.
or result, bat without comment or criticism
the lay pen will try to convey Just what the
unin>tructcl eye saw and the unscientiir in
telligence graspel
| We. the fortunate ones. who We're guests Of
the officer, of the War College and receiving
ships, occupied commanding position Oh the
grassy top and slopnS banks Of 4 small rc>cr-
yoir near Tie ccntreof Coasters IIarbor Island.
| Behind rs Were the white buildings OF the War
| College (c-lcNant aimshouse) the yellow drill
hall and the Old New Hampshire. housed in
and painted deep pumpkin color. Beyond
these lay the haibor with tho mcm-of-'var at
anchor, Tie Torpedo station on Goat Island.
the smiling little city and the gray walls of the
| Fort; but on all this we turned our backs to
| look up the bay towards the spot, four miles
| away, where the hostile feet We're sUpposel to
be anchored. And by the way, well trained
and ayiic imagination was Indispensable both
| to those who took part and those who looked
| ON, 50 many and 50 magnificent were the sup
| positions" We We're called upon to indulge in.
| All this, however. is best left to the excellent
ard highly scientific reports of the daily papers. r
We will here attempt 10 record only what we
SAW with our own cycs. Spread out before Us,
| then. ike Il raised rap. lay Coasters llarbor
| Island. the Bay and Ccdlington Point; close
before u>, 81 field >Ioping nevemly towards Il
distant beach: on our left rocky knoll, a wide.
| smooth field with stone fences: much broken
| ground between this and the landing place.
On the right lay all apple orchard in Il hollow
its quaint. contJrted trees, with fading leaves
gray AS those Of the olive, thrown out against
| the ycllowisi cleft cliffs of a quarry Just be-
| vond. Beyond this again small cove with a
miniature surf dashing in, and then the grassy
slopes of Coddington Point, which, as well as
| the more distant Miantonomi hill. were covered
| with spcctators-:nd beyond all the wide stretch
of Narragansctt Bay, blue as lapis laZuli, and
veXed into minnie roughncss by as vicious, per-
| sistcHi and penetrating 4 southwest wind as
| ever blew.
| Certain guns We're fired and certain buglcs
sounded: those most on the alert said ''hcrc
| they come" and some turned to look. but for
the most part the chattering went on uninter-
| ruptcdiy al the rate of sixteen to the dozen,
and quickly and quietly the attacking force
came coa>ting alongShore towards the appoint
ed landing place-a long string of white boats
| from the various ships-towcd by their steam
launches, and making very good weather of it
in the short bothcriny waves.
| Meantime, an army officer on horseback
two or three naval officers and sailor la.l with
rc,l ila. appeared on the little space below
the reservoir. The boats crcrt up to the shore,
| and with much tossing and tumbling and no
doubt plenty of wet feet, the attacking force
| landed. Crhis much we did know.) Dark Aodie,
of men gathered on two curving bits of beach
and the boats drew off. presumably out OF
range. Then We endeavOrcd to look two ol
more ways at once; for while the marines OF
the attacking force were advancing up the
slope and sending skirmishcrs over the wal
and into the grassy field en- the left, til,
apprentice boys from the ''New Hampshire
were coming up to defend us, at the double
their field pieces rafting and Gathering after
them. One of these guns was placed on tn,
knoll to our left; two in the field in front OF
us. and one on the heights of the quarry; Will,
II squad (or file, or company. or some sucl
thing of boys croucEcd down behind the near
est stone wall. The first shots were fired b,
the >kirmi>hcrs in the field on our left at &c
+. NJ. (This is the only positive statement
which will be male-hut this can be depended
upcn.) The field piece nearest to us replied, ant
in the recoi nearly knocked down the fence
The apprentice boys behind the wall took ul
the firing, the Ga:ling guns landed from the
boats and perched on a knoll near the beach
added their grating, cracking voices to the din
and the spectators talked more than ever.
skurrying to and fro then began, of marines
in light blue trousers and sailors in brown
CATERS and boys in white duck, and red flag
and white flags and busy officers and an eager
and breathless reporter.
| And lust here the vivid imagination comes